Almost 70% of people surveyed said they will buy books or book tokens for family and friends
More than two-thirds of people in Scotland plan to give books as Christmas gifts, according to a new poll commissioned for the start of Book Week Scotland today (Monday, 27 November).
A huge 69% of people surveyed said they will buy books or book tokens for family and friends, with titles for children and young people the most popular choice of book (25%).
Crime and thriller books were the second highest pick as presents, with 21% of respondents to the survey choosing this type, closely followed by biography and autobiography with 19%.
The survey also asked how many books people own in different genres and found fiction is most popular, with almost half of Scots (48%) owning 25 or more titles of this kind.
Second place was cookery books, with 12% of people packing more than 25 cookbooks on their shelves. In addition, for those who own between five and 25 books, cookbooks are their most owned category.
Book Week Scotland is a celebration of books and reading that brings hundreds of free events to venues all across the country.
Run by Scottish Book Trust, the national charity changing lives through reading and writing, and working with a wide range of partners, this year it takes place until Sunday, 3 December.
The theme for this year's Book Week Scotland is Nourish and throughout the week it will be celebrating how books and reading feed the life of communities.
A free e-book will be available to download and this year, for the first time, it is running a Virtual Festival packed with tasty content.
The survey, commissioned by Scottish Book Trust, questioned more than 1,200 Scots and found that, for those who own cookbooks, titles by Jamie Oliver are the most popular.
Nearly one-third (31%) count his among their top three most-used cookbooks. His modern approach to cooking pipped traditional favourite Delia Smith into second place (23%), with the Hairy Bikers third (20%), and Mary Berry fourth (18%).
Marc Lambert, chief executive of the Scottish Book Trust, said: "At the start of the sixth Book Week Scotland, and just a month before Christmas, it is wonderful to know that books remain one of the favourite present choices for Scots. Anyone looking for inspiration should visit the events page of our website where there are literally hundreds of ideas from a huge variety of authors, topics and titles.
"This year's theme of Nourish taps into the wellbeing effects that come from reading and looks at all the ways books impact positively on our lives. Taking time out to read is good for you, whatever your age and whatever you enjoy."
For more information about Book Week Scotland 2017, how you can get involved and events taking place in your area, visit here.
